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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22394305">Sometimes a Family is Two Ladies and Their Kingdom Full Of Bugs</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Agent3Novi/pseuds/Agent3Novi'>Agent3Novi</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Animal Crossing + Hollow Knight AUs [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Hollow Knight (Video Games), どうぶつの森 | Animal Crossing Series</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Asexual Relationship, BugTank AU, Demisexuality, Domestic, F/F, Niko has now sworn too, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Self-Indulgent, Self-Insert, Why Did I Write This?, also Melba swears exactly one (1) time-, because FUCK CANON QUIRREL LIVES-, but like, look man it's my one and only ship fic and it's not even the main focus, low key - Freeform, need i say more?, self-shipping - Freeform, two lesbiens adopt a kingdom full of bugs</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-01-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 08:54:09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>916</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22394305</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Agent3Novi/pseuds/Agent3Novi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>“I FINALLY found a bug that Blathers couldn’t identify!”<br/>“Oh? Really?”<br/>Niko nodded enthusiastically, “Yeah yeah! Here, look at ‘em!”<br/>She held up the jar. Inside was a very small and fuzzy bug with a white head and horns and pitch black eyes that seemed to stare into her soul. There was also, for some reason, a nail on its back.<br/>A tiny hand proceeded to reach itself out of the fluff-fur-stuff, grab the nail, and chuck it at the wall of the jar, very obviously aiming for the koala on the other side.<br/>Well, there was really only one way to respond to that.<br/>“Toasty?”<br/>“Yeah?”<br/>“What. The. <strong>Fu-</strong>”</i>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>----</p><p> </p><p>  <span class="small">((Or wherin the author remembered a silly old idea and decided to write it out))</span></p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>(is that how you tag that?), Villager/Melba</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Animal Crossing + Hollow Knight AUs [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1681429</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>149</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. What a Weird Bug</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Wow, my first somewhat shippy fic! :D</p><p>Don't worry tho, it's kinda just an already-established-in-the-background thing, main focus is still the bugs! <i>the bugs!! THE BUGS!!!</i></p><p>Also, Villager is named Niko in this, uses she/her pronouns, and is <i>not</i> the mayor despite it taking place in New Leaf's town/part of the timeline.</p><p>anyways, now enjoy! :3c</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  
  <span>It was a quaint day, a quiet one, though filled with delightful nuances if one took the time to look.</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>Or to listen, as was the case for Melba.</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>The rustling of the trees in the wind and of the sprawling flowers outside the window. The chitter of a few bugs from her girlfriend’s tanks. The soft and crackly phonograph playing some song she didn’t quite remember the name of but swayed to nonetheless. </span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>She paused in her sewing to examine her progress. There was a tear in her cape from a mishap during rehearsals. Normally Melba would have just asked the Able Sisters to fix it, or maybe Niko, but well, the sisters </span>
  <em>
    <span>did</span>
  </em>
  <span> have a shop to run and her girlfriend was off doing who knows what, as usual. </span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>So, she was sewing the cape herself.</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>The stitching was a little wobbly, and when she pulled the thread the fabric puckered awkwardly. Well, the character </span>
  <em>
    <span>was</span>
  </em>
  <span> supposed to be a bit rugged, and it wasn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> noticeable… </span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>Ah, who was she kidding? She sighed and rested her head in her hands. When Niko got back Mebla would have to ask her to fix it…</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>Her ears perked up at the sound of hurried footsteps on stone. Well, speak of the devil as they say-</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>“MELBAA</span>
  <em>
    <span>AAAAAAA-</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>The door slammed open and Niko rushed inside. Her dress was all frumpled and she was holding a bug-net and jar that had definitely seen better days.</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>Melba shook her head and stood up, “Did you butterfinger the butterfly again, Toasty?” she gently teased.</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>Niko groaned, but she was smiling again, “No, not this time, </span>
  <em>
    <span>thank god-</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>“Well that's good,” Melba gave her a quick hug and nose-nuzzle before pulling away, hands still on her girlfriend’s shoulders, “now what’s all the fuss about?”</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>“Oh yeah!” Niko started bouncing a little on her toes, “I FINALLY found a bug that Blathers couldn’t identify!”</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>“Oh? Really?” now </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> was a feat unheard of, the enthusiastic owl may hate handling bugs with a passion, but he still knew as much about them as any of his other interests, which was to say </span>
  <em>
    <span>damn near anything you could ever learn about them ever.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  
  <span>Niko nodded enthusiastically, “Yeah yeah! Here, look at ‘em!”</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>She held up the jar. Inside was a very small and fuzzy bug with a white head and horns and pitch black eyes that seemed to </span>
  <em>
    <span>stare into her soul</span>
  </em>
  <span>. There was also, for some reason, a nail on its back.</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>A tiny hand proceeded to reach itself out of the fluff-fur-</span>
  <em>
    <span>stuff</span>
  </em>
  <span>, grab the nail, and chuck it at the wall of the jar, very obviously aiming for the koala on the other side.</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>Well, there was really only one way to respond to that.</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>“Toasty?”</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>“Yeah?”</span>
</p><p>
  
  <span>“What. The. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Fu-</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. The Bug Makes Contact</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Sorry for the wait and the short length but writers-block hit me like a truck</p>
<p>anyways enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  
  <span>“Toasty, that is </span>
  <em>
    <span>not a normal bug!</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“I know! That’s what makes it so cool!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>The Bug (with a </span>
  <em>
    <span>capital</span>
  </em>
  <span> B) had been relocated from the jar to one of Niko’s spare tanks. She wasn’t super sure on what kind of stuff it would need, so she just put in the basic dirt-plus-rocks-plus-plants combo and placed them in…</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>Okay, </span>
  <em>
    <span>“placing”</span>
  </em>
  <span> wasn’t quite right, </span>
  <em>
    <span>the sucker fought her EVERY inch of the way,</span>
  </em>
  <span> but the Bug still got from point-A to point-B, so it was close enough.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>Now the Bug was investigating the terrarium, and Niko and Melba were talking.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>The koala sighed, “Where did you even find it?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“Ah…” Niko thought for a moment, then snapped her fingers, “Y’know that bench at the west end of the shopping street?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>Melba blinked and nodded, “‘Course I do. You really found it there?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>Niko shrugged with a small grin on her face, “Yup! If I had to guess, it probably crawled out of one of those cracks in the cliff.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>Melba nodded again, “Hm, I can see that…” </span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>They both glanced over to the Bug, who had stopped looking around the tank for the time being and was now sitting and blankly staring off into space. (Or at least that’s how it seemed to them, they didn’t know the thought-processes of bugs).</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“Hey, Toasty?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“Hm?” Niko glanced back at Melba.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>The koala sheepishly held up a cape with a poorly-repaired rip right smack-dab in the center of it, “D’you think you could do me a favor and, um, fix it?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>Niko giggled and gave her girlfriend a little peck on the cheek, “Sure, Bean-Bean, leave it to me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>She sat down in one of the two chairs. One hand tenderly took the cape while the other one fumbled around the table for the sewing-box. She popped the lid open and grabbed a seam-ripper. “Mmm, nasty tear,” she chuckled, “what’d’ja do to-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <em>
    <span>Tap.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“...What were you saying?” Melba was sitting back in the other chair.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>Niko glanced around. Hm, maybe she imagined it. “Oh, I was just askin’ how you-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <em>
    <span>Tap!</span>
  </em>
  <span> It was more forceful this time.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>They both looked towards the Bug’s tank. It was standing up against the glass, one hand on the wall, the other tapping the nail against the plastic barrier.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <em>
    <span>Tap tap tap,</span>
  </em>
  <span> three in quick succession, then more slowly, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Tap. Tap. Tap.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>The two stared in shock as the small insect methodically repeated the pattern. Niko almost dropped the cape and seam-ripper in her surprise.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“Is it…” Melba struggled to get the words out, “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Is it S.O.S-ing us?</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Fuck</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Niko stared blankly as the Bug switched to waving at them, “I think it is.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>If you enjoyed, had any thoughts you wanted to share, or just have some good ol' concrit, feel free to leave a comment and/or kudos! It really helps keep my motivation up! :D</p></blockquote></div></div>
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